MEA dismisses reports claiming arrest of Indian ‘spy’ in Pakistan

According to Pakistani local media, Raju Lakshman "admitted" himself to be a spy after he was arrested on Wednesday from Rakhi Gaj area of Dera Ghazi Khan district, PTI reported. He was later taken to an undisclosed location for investigation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it did not receive any information from Islamabad on “unverified reports” claiming the arrest of an alleged Indian spy in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

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News agency PTI, citing Pakistani local media, reported that Raju Lakshman “admitted” he is a spy after his arrest on Wednesday from Rakhi Gaj area of Dera Ghazi Khan district. He was later taken to an undisclosed location for investigation, PTI said.

Addressing the media during his weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “We do not react to unverified media reports. We have not heard from the Pakistani side on this. ”

Jadhav was sentenced to death on espionage charges by a Pakistani military court in 2017. However, the International Court of Justice last month ordered Pakistan to undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

Pakistan claimed that its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintained that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.